


Oh Well

by KurooCrow



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Naruto
Genre: 6 of which are adults, Learning to be Human, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Multiple Time Periods, Sesshomaru Raises 9 kids, Sorry Not Sorry, Time Travel, long-haired naruto, nearly always on the part of sesshomaru, or at least tolerate them, sesshomaru is very ooc, yes thats a tag necessary to be here because its important to me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-05-18 15:23:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19337263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KurooCrow/pseuds/KurooCrow
Summary: Sesshomaru was fully aware of the fact that the well hadn’t accepted him in years. It was still somehow functional for Kagome and Inuyasha, but all others were cut from its access.Still, that didn’t stop him from leaping after the fleeing Inuyasha, entering the well with Bakusaiga raised and chasing the ethereal blue light at the bottom of the well.He certainly wasn’t shocked by the pale violet that surrounded him, and definitely didn’t let out a surprised whine far too similar to the inu he was.AKA Sesshomaru gets yeeted through dimensions and arrives just in time to see a giant fox





	1. I

The relationship between any family members was complicated. It was even more complex when one sibling was a full-blooded daiyoukai and the other a half-demon.

Still, thinks Kagome as she eyes the two trading blows for the second time that week, some families tend to be a bit too dramatic for her taste.

All she had wanted was for Sesshomaru to spend more time around the girl she knew to be like his daughter, and Inuyasha couldn’t even stand his presence that long. She loved Inuyasha; she had for years, but she wished he made more of an effort.

That she loved him had been a slow realization somewhere along the path as they battled a homicidal half-at some point full?- demon and chased his henchmen across the country. Kagome never appreciated the size of Japan until she was forced to haul ass across it in a week.

There was a time just before the end where she had hope. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru would never have a relationship like she did with her younger brother, but would it kill them to just get along?

Apparently so, judging by the way Inuyasha barely dodges a swing of Bakusaiga.

Kagome knows Sesshomaru won’t kill him. She can see it the way he moves slower than usual or never utilizes Bakusaiga’s full potential. Sesshomaru is quite literally the strongest youkai alive at the moment. For all of Inuyasha’s strengths she knows it would be a short fight to the death.

Perhaps it was Rin that had softened the great inu. Kagome often wondered at the expression of pure adoration in his eyes when they interacted. It was a love that only a parent could give, and Kagome knew Rin was in capable hands despite the protests.

Truly, sometimes she wishes the others could see what she does.

Sesshomaru can be a Grade A Asshole, but she has always been somewhat understanding. He was raised to be a warrior and leader, and she can’t imagine it would leave much room for a loving attitude.

She could, however, remember how he had been. The first time she had seen Sesshomaru fight with Inuyasha the elder youkai had been smiling- gleefully taunting his opponents. It had changed after Inuyasha cut his arm off. That failure seemed to resonate with Sesshomaru and the next time they met he was a lean, mean, killing machine.

Just when Kagome began to hate him- began to lose hope in Inuyasha having the haven of a loving older sibling- Rin arrived. Kagome was skeptical to say the least. How the hell was a demon supposed to raise a human child?

But they managed. They didn’t even just manage. They  _ thrived. _ Rin was saved from certain death- literally- and the two had become each others family. And it was like his head was pulled from the clouds. For all his dramatic gestures and placing himself above others, it was like he finally saw. The haze of clouds had lifted and Sesshomaru  _ saw  _ his family and their friends.

Kagome never missed the subtle actions. The small words of kindness to those around her. They might, so set in their ways of believing Sesshomaru to be evil, but not her. She could see the potential in him.

Maybe, she mused, watching as he followed Inuyasha’s dash towards the well, he just needed more people like Rin to truly bring him back to earth.

\--

Sesshomaru was fully aware of the fact that the well hadn’t accepted him in years. It was still somehow functional for Kagome and Inuyasha, but all others were cut from its access.

Still, that didn’t stop him from leaping after the fleeing Inuyasha, entering the well with Bakusaiga raised and chasing the ethereal blue light at the bottom of the well.

He  _ certainly _ wasn’t shocked by the pale violet that surrounded him, and  _ definitely _ didn’t let out a surprised whine far too similar to the inu he was.

Even he couldn’t deny the widening of his eyes as he landed to be assaulted by unfamiliar youki, though.

It was  _ thick.  _ A force of pure malevolence that rushed forward to seek and destroy anything it came in contact with. He could relate to the feeling.

This, however, felt more like Naraku than he cared to think about. It was pure rage and grief, yet twisted as if not its own.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh. Why the fuck did he always get dragged into these messes?

And a mess it was.

The first thing he saw was a fox. It was bigger than any he had seen, and rivaled the size of his true form. Nine tails swayed behind it which he knew to mean it was quite a powerful entity. Well, by fox standards at least. A fox daiyoukai hadn’t been seen in centuries, but that was the only explanation he had for the creature seemingly made of yoki and anger to be trampling the village which-

_ Rin! _

He had shifted forms without a second thought, the rage of his ward being in danger far outweighing the limitations it gave him in battle. Only a few seconds after he had appeared in this time he was sprinting at the fox, jaws open and clamping around the scruff of its neck.

It wasn’t nearly a killing blow, but the shocked yelp it cried was worth it. Sesshomaru used all of his weight to ground himself, steadying his paws as he whipped his neck to the side and threw the fox with it. He had to drive the demon away from the village. It wasn’t exactly clear if it was  _ his _ village, since he had no idea what time period the well had dropped him in, but he wasn’t about to take chances.

There were screams from below, and his eyes focused on the two prominent figures that been fighting beside the fox. They both appeared and smelled of human, but they couldn’t be with the way they used the elements around them to attack each other.

He had seen the black-haired one on the back of the fox before, and swiped his jaws towards him. Acid dripped from his mouth and burned scorching holes into the ground beneath as the man dodged to the side and held his hand to his mouth to exhale pure flame.

Startled, Sesshomaru drew back. A low growl erupted from his throat and he turned his attention away from the aggravating human to the fox that had regained its bearings and was crouched low. A mass of pure youki, a whirling combination of violet and black, was forming between its jaws. It rapidly expanded and compressed back in on itself, and Sesshomaru snarled at the sight.

In an uncharacteristically panicked move he raced forward in time to swipe at the fox’s snout with his claws. The beast’s head snapped to the side and the mass of yoki was sent sailing into a mountain.

The resulting explosion made Sesshomaru glad he wasn’t on the receiving end.

With a yowl equal parts rage and pain the fox turned to face Sesshomaru again. Slash marks across his face were smoking as the toxin from Sesshomaru’s claws ate away at his fur and flesh alike.

Sesshomaru moved forward in a blur, attacking the fox straight on and throwing his weight enough that the fox fell backwards and onto its side. Quickly, he used a paw to pin its neck, his claws digging into the skin.

The fox was thrashing, seemingly uncaring of the poison seeping into its neck from the movements. Sesshomaru leaned down to close his jaws around his neck when a voice screamed “Wait!”

His head whipped around to eye a woman with red hair brighter than any youkai he had met. A growl ripped from his throat as she continued to approach without caution.

“Please! Don’t kill him!” Sesshomaru tilted his head, cursing this forms inability to speak. “It will throw off the balance he can’t- I can seal him!”

He snorted at that, reminded of Midoriko and her attempt at sealing that created the sacred jewel.

Still, the fox beneath his paw had stopped struggling. Its breathing was slowed and labored due to the toxin in its system, and Sesshomaru knew it wouldn’t pose a threat.

It was obvious from those he encountered that he was in a time and land very much not his own and had interrupted a large battle.

So, with all the dignity he could gather he stepped back from the fox. His mind and instincts were screaming at his choice to abandon prey without delivering a killing strike, but he quickly shut that down by nodding to the woman and moving a few paces back to keep a watchful eye.

The woman only spared him a quick glance before getting to work, and Sesshomaru ignored her actions to regard the men fighting once more. They had torn apart a large section of the village they seemed to be surrounded by, and he could clearly see the brown-haired man with youki like a roaring sun overcoming the other that burned similar to the kyuubi he had just put down.

His attention snapped back to the woman as she finalized drawing a few lines across her stomach with a sweeping motion. Sesshomaru’s nostrils flared as he realized what she was about to attempt. It was foolish at best and suicidal at worst. To seal a daiyoukai within oneself? Even more stupid than to allow demons to possess your form as he had seen happen a multitude of times.

During the light show that occurred as the seal was activated he shifted back into a human form, moving to catch the woman as she collapsed from the strain.

_ She had done it. _

Half of him said to run as far as possible since he didn’t want to be the next daiyoukai sealed away, but the rest was far too overconfident to worry about such things. Especially since the woman capable of it was now passed out in his arms.

“Mito!” Ah, and there was the brown-haired man sprinting towards them. Sesshomaru could just see the collapsed figure of the other behind him.

The man was clearly torn whether to thank Sesshomaru for the help or threaten him to drop the girl. “Here.” Sesshomaru merely said, moving forward to hand her off. He was finding an unhealthy amount of respect for a woman willing to do what she did. “She’s just unconscious. The youki from the fox should heal her injuries quickly.”

Sesshomaru pointedly didn’t think about how there was a time long ago that he would have just killed them both and been done with it.

“I- thank you. I don’t know who or what you are, but you’ve done Konoha a great service.” Sesshomaru barely resisted asking just what the fuck a Konoha was. “My name is Senju Hashirama. Please, allow me to repay your service in some way.”

Sesshomaru frowned. “Unnecessary.” He was going to form an excuse and leave, but hesitated when he felt a flare of familiar youki in the woman- Mito, he supposed. “But I shall accompany you for a brief time.”  Hashirama’s face lit up in a way Sesshomaru didn’t believe possible for a human.

Hashirama led him through the valley that had been created- and what a thought that was in a fight between humans- towards the  _ mostly _ untouched village beyond. There may have been a paw print or two stamped into the earth. Hashirama seemed to follow his line of sight and asked, “What exactly was that? Are you another jinchuuriki?”

“Jinchuuriki?” The word was foreign and felt uncomfortable on his tongue.

“Ah, I supposed Mito would be the first, but it’s one who contains a bijuu within them.” That would explain why he hadn’t liked the sound of the word. It was a jailer, but he didn’t yet know if that was entirely bad.

“Bijuu?”

Hashirama turned to him with an offended look. “The tailed beasts? You don’t know of them? I thought since you had one tail…”

The thought of other creatures judged on their amount of tails was quite terrifying for Sesshomaru to think about.

“I am no tailed beast. I am Sesshomaru, inu-daiyoukai and ruler of the Western Lands.” Every time he introduced himself he was reminded of Rin’s mocking tones when she realized speaking in third person was abnormal. She loved Sesshomaru and replicating his actions, but had somehow even broken him of his own habit.

“Inu-what now?” Sesshomaru forced himself to take a very deep breath at the question- if he could even call it that.

How the hell would he even explain what he was? And why the hell was he bothering to spend so much time trying to?

“I hold no such ‘bijuu’ within me, for I  _ am  _ the youkai.” Hashirama’s eyes widened as his breath hitched. “As the demon sealed within” he motioned with his head to Mito “is a kitsune, so am I an inu.”

“Holy shit.” Came the squeak of a reply.

Sesshomaru snorted. He nearly forgot how much fun he had tormenting humans.

\--

Somehow, Sesshomaru ended up remaining with the Senju brothers for the better part of two months. He blamed his natural curiosity. There was no excuse for his lack of knowledge to bite him in the ass, and these humans were  _ interesting. _

They had what they called chakra. It felt to him like a watered down youki. The shinobi he met reminded him of half-demons while the kyuubi he had met on the first night still resonated as a daiyoukai to his senses.

He also found himself roped into helping Mito harnessing the power of the great fox within her. The kyuubi constantly raged against his holdings, and Sesshomaru was able to harness his ability to nullify demonic energy to put the fox to sleep when it became too much for Mito to handle.

Those times weren’t often, considering just how strong Mito was. Sesshomaru had the fleeting thought that she would get along wonderfully with Inuyasha’s little crowd once and awhile. Especially when her idiotic husband was annoying him to levels only the half-demon had ever achieved.

Sesshomaru also ended up training multiple younger shinobi in kenjutsu since even their best couldn’t defeat Sesshomaru’s technique. He especially appreciated the skill in the young Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hashirama’s granddaughter Tsunade. She demonstrated strength similar to a youkai and he was  _ thrilled  _ to train her further.

Sesshomaru hadn’t planned on staying in this land for so long, but he was drawn in by the constant discoveries. He had no idea if time was passing in his original time, and had been debating this thought when Hashirama approached him to sit at his side.

“You know, you’ve been here a while now.” Sesshomaru tilted his head to give Hashirama a deadpan look. “I mean, you’ve done a lot to help this village- and my family- since you got here. Tsunade looks at you like a hero.”

He tensed, wondering just where this conversation was going. Was this a thank you or was the hokage about to throw him from the village?

“The summit is approaching and I want you there to support Konoha. You still don’t have a clan name, and other kages may question that.” Hashirama looked more nervous than Sesshomaru had ever seen him and continued his rambling, “I just was wondering, I mean, you can say no, but, would you want to take the Senju name?”

What?   


“What?”

“You’re already a part of the family! And Tobirama even agreed. We’d love for you to be an honorary Senju.”

Sesshomaru would never admit to sprinting from Hashirama’s hopeful eyes to throw himself down the well.

\--

Sesshomaru took a few minutes to catch his breath upon reappearing in what he hoped to be his time. Hashirama said he was  _ family.  _ Sesshomaru may be unwilling to discuss his personal issues with others, but he wasn’t dense. He had felt the fear spark in his chest at the confession.

Most of it was due to the fact that he wasn’t entirely  _ upset  _ by Hashirama’s question.

He knew Rin had done a number on his personality, but joining a new clan was a little beyond what he willing to do at the moment. So what if he had some unresolved emotional issues. Besides, if that was where the well wanted to take him he could always return for a visit.

Well, that was what he thought for about twelve seconds, anyway.

When he jumped from the bottom of the well the first thing he noticed was the overwhelming presence of half-demons. This either meant Kaede’s village had become some sort of haven for them, or he hadn’t left the world he was in.

Sesshomaru cursed as he caught sight of the Konoha he had just left. It looked… older and judging by the faces carved in the mountain beside Hashirama and Tobirama he had jumped a few years forward.

He turned and jumped back into the well, but frowned as no light surrounded him. He landed on the dirt bottom of the well without moving.

Shuffling his foot in a useless attempt to activate the power of the well, he heard a voice from above, “Oi, you good down there?”

Sesshomaru took a deep breath as he resigned himself to dealing with these humans for a while. Leaping from the well to join the shinobi next to it he ground out, “Just perfect.” He grounded himself emotionally before analyzing the shinobi before him with what little he knew about various clans. And that… didn’t get him far. He looked to be about 25, with his hitai-ate worn in the form of a bandana and a between his teeth. “Who exactly is the hokage right now?” He just prayed it was someone he had known, but eyeing the faces carved didn’t give him much hope.

The shinobi raised a brow, and Sesshomaru noticed one hand casually placed near where he knew weapons would be held. “Hokage? Hiruzen Sarutobi.”

A sound of surprise left Sesshomaru at that. Little Hiruzen had managed to become hokage? “I need to speak with him.”

“Hm? Sure. I’ll escort you since I need to give a report anyways, but you’ll have to sign in at the gate.” Sesshomaru nodded and began walking when it became clear the shinobi wasn’t about to show him his back. “Shiranui Genma, by the way.”

Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder. “Sesshomaru.” He chose not to think about just what it meant that Genma’s eyes widened in recognition.

He didn’t pay much mind to the shinobi guarding the gate, writing his name out on their forms and continuing into the village before they even spoke.

The village was… much more different than he expected. He hadn’t before seen buildings built like this except for in Kagome’s era. They were impressive. The administration building was in the same location, however, and he couldn’t hold back a small smile at the sight. Hashirama would be proud of how his village seemed to flourish.

They were nearing the building when there was a gasp and bark to their left. A kunoichi ran forward with three dogs at her heels that mildly resembled wolves.

“Sesshomaru-sama?” She stopped a few yards away and dipped her head in greeting. “Is it truly you?”

Sesshomaru hesitated, narrowing his eyes. She was an Inuzuka; that much was obvious. He heard Genma behind him mutter ‘sama?’

He remembered helping the few Inuzuka he had met in the past to be in better tune with their ninken. Judging by the way the dogs also greeted him and remained close to the kunoichi, the methods had stuck.

While he didn’t speak, he gave her a nod of approval that sparked pure delight in her eyes.

“Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama. My mother will be delighted to hear of your return.”

Genma was  _ floored.  _ He had never even heard Inuzuka Hana speak to the Hokage with that level of respect. Who the hell was this guy to earn that from an Inuzuka he just met? He had to shake his head of the thoughts and run a few paces to catch up with Sesshomaru who had already walked the rest of the distance to the administration building.

Sesshomaru was grateful he had Genma to escort him since the shinobi must be well known and they bypassed any guards without question. He noticed Genma going to speak, probably to tell him they had to wait for the hokage to be available, and quickly decided ‘fuck that’ before moving forward and throwing open the door to his office.

“Hiruzen.” He greeted, appreciating the way the color drained from his face.

“Sesshomaru-sensei?” Sesshomaru gave him a nod and dropped to sit in the seat across from Hiruzen. “What… you  _ vanished  _ years ago! Hashirama-sensei said you fled after he invited you into the family. Where have you been?”

With a shuffle of his legs Sesshomaru answered, “Perhaps. Maybe. I  _ might  _ have overreacted.”

“ _ Overreacted?  _ You call disappearing for nearly 100 years  _ overreacting?” _ Hiruzen was flustered and panicked, and it was all too apparent in the normal stoic shinobi’s posture.

Genma was just as panicked, but more fearful of the youkai than hokage. He had heard the stories, but just who was Sesshomaru  _ really  _ to get that sort of reaction from the God of Shinobi?

“I had no intention of returning. The well decided to drop me here instead of my true home.” Hiruzen, who knew of the well from Sesshomaru’s stories, startled.

“The well brought you here? For what purpose?”

Sesshomaru shrugged. “Perhaps I am needed here as Kagome was needed in my time.”

Hiruzen didn’t want to think about the catastrophe that could require his intervention considering the last time was a fight between Hashirama, Madara, and the Kyuubi. They had been through so much and none of it was deemed worthy of the champion Sesshomaru seemed to be. What was different now? He prayed it didn’t involve the jinchuuriki a year from graduating the academy.

“Then you intend to stay in Konoha?”

Sesshomaru hummed, “For a while, at least.”

Hiruzen nodded, quickly sifting through the massive amounts of paperwork around him to find what he needed. “There’s a few open apartments around the village. I’ll grant you one to stay in while you’re here. It’s a complex for shinobi, but I’d rather place you there than with civilians.”

Sesshomaru snorted at that. That was a fair assessment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya know. I know Sesshomaru is very ooc but I like to think Rin combined with his behavior in the beginning of the manga means theres an sarcastic dumbass with a weakness for protecting kids somewhere in there


	2. II

Hatake Kakashi was quite tempted to _not_ respond to the hokage’s summons.

The last few visits had culminated in him being assigned a genin team at the upcoming graduation. But not just _any_ genin team. No, that would be too kind of the hokage.

He was being assigned team 7, and he really doubted the stigma of seven being a lucky number at this point.

An Uchiha even moodier than he had been in his youth, consumed by the thought of revenge and killing his only remaining relative.

The son of his former sensei and the most terrifying woman he had ever known, known around the village only for pranks and his status as a jinchuuriki.

A daughter of two shinobi never advancing past genin rank that was only concerned with how her hair looked in comparison to what Sasuke liked.

Any on their own would be horrid, but Kakashi wanted to hide in his apartment and never leave at the thought of teaching all three.

Would being a missing-nin be _that_ bad? Surely at some point it was worth it.

Kakashi’s thoughts were only enforced when he arrived at the office. Opening the door to see an unfamiliar figure with stark-white hair reclined casually across from the God of Shinobi he wanted nothing more than to close the door again.

He was sure it was only curiosity that drove him to fully enter the room. The man was refined, and similar in appearance to the portrait of Senju Tobirama hanging on the wall. Was he a distant Senju relation? The red stripes across his cheeks were an indicator of Senju or Inuzuka heritage, but he had no clue where the moon marking could possibly come from.

“Ah, Kakashi. I was hoping you could show Sesshomaru around the village and to his temporary apartment.”

He didn’t like the sound of that.

“Kakashi?” The man spoke, and Kakashi frowned as he turned to face him. Golden eyes met his and Kakashi froze. It couldn’t be… “Hatake?” Kakashi’s eyebrow raised and Sesshomaru elaborated, “You smell like dog.”

_Holy shit._

“Wait. Sesshomaru- _sama_?”

Hiruzen sighed as if he had made his greatest mistake yet. “Yes, it appears as if Sesshomaru-sensei has decided to return to the village at last.”

There was emphasis on the last words and Sesshomaru abruptly turned to the hokage, “I suggest you direct your irritation towards Hashirama.”

Hiruzen chuckled and waved his hand in dismissal, “That’s in the past. I’ll have an ANBU deliver supplies to your apartment later.”

Kakashi tore his eyes from Sesshomaru- _because_ _holy shit Sesshomaru-sama is a literal legend among the Hatake clan_ \- to nod to the hokage.

He was determined not to lower himself to the level of kids like Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, but he finally understood a bit of what they felt because _holy shit._

Kakashi, however, was a trained shinobi and therefore able to hide his excitement-even if it was behind a familiar orange book- from the youkai.

Because it made sense now. He truly was a youkai- no, a _dai_ youkai. The strongest of his kind and he had ended up in their village to train the Inuzuka and Hatake.

Kakashi and Sesshomaru walked in silence, and Kakashi was pulled from his thoughts by a mass of orange sprinting past him and nearly slamming into his legs.

He opened his mouth to say ‘oh, that’s just Naruto’ or ‘ignore him he’s a prankster’, but was cut off by the strangled noise that escaped his throat. Sesshomaru had Naruto by the collar and held him a few inches off the ground.

Kakashi was torn because on the one hand he needed to protect his sensei’s son and jinchuuriki, but on the other oh dear god. There was no way Kakashi was disillusioned enough to think he could challenge Sesshomaru in a fight right now and only prayed he didn’t murder the Uzumaki.

“Hey! Let go of me old man!”

Sesshomaru’s nostrils flared as he took in that remark, “I am not _old._ But _you_ carry something that is.”

Kakashi made a sound that he could only describe as a plea for a quick death.

\--

The sealing of daiyoukai had confused Sesshomaru for many years. Even after discussing it with Mito he hadn’t fully comprehended. How had they sealed a daiyoukai so tightly?

He hadn’t been worried about being sealed- he relied on his natural resilience to spiritual energy to save him there- but wanted to understand. There were only nine youkai -bijuu, as Hashirama had insisted they were called- and they sealed them away?

It took until this moment, staring down the young shinobi that was clearly of some relation to Mito, to appreciate the magnitude of what they had done.

Sesshomaru had understood sealing to be temporary. Until the end of the human’s life at the longest. But this child held the kyuubi, and judging by the rolling fury in the chakra well hidden away, the beast hadn’t seen much sunlight since Mito.

He was _furious._ It wasn’t so much that they _were_ sealed away, since Mito had explained how they were both hunters and hunted, but the fact that they hadn’t been released at all? Plus, judging by the blank look in the kids face he had no idea of the power he held.

That wouldn’t do at all.

As much as he hated to admit it, his half-brother had a much better understanding of human emotions. So what the hell was he supposed to do to get the kid to calm down enough to talk? Sesshomaru ignored the kid screaming profanities and dragged him the few steps forward to Kakashi’s side.

“Where can I provide this one with food?” The child froze at that.

“Like, ramen?” He questioned, suddenly eyeing Sesshomaru with wide and hopeful eyes.

The word was familiar enough as something Kagome had brought for the residents of Kaede’s village, so he nodded as he set the kid down. Something seemed to click, however, and the kid narrowed his eyes. “What is this some joke?”

Sesshomaru was floored at how quickly his emotions changed. “There is no joke within providing food.”

“The people around here never buy me food so why the hell would you be different, old man?”

It took a deep breath for Sesshomaru not to instinctively react to the disrespectful tone. “I guess you will have to find out.” Was all he said before following Kakashi’s lead.

“His name’s Naruto.” Kakashi murmured as he led him towards the only ramen stand Naruto visited.

Sesshomaru’s eyes flicked to Kakashi briefly before focusing ahead. He could hear the soft footsteps of Naruto as he followed them.

They ended up at a stand that Naruto looked overjoyed to see. “Hell yeah! You really gonna get me ramen, old man?”

“Call me old again and you will _be_ the ramen.” He commented dryly.

Naruto ignored the threat and ran forward to one of the stools. “One miso ramen, please!”

The worker was clearly familiar with Naruto and smiled at him. “Ah, hello, Naruto. Coming right up!” She was about to walk away when Kakashi and Sesshomaru sat down with Sesshomaru beside Naruto.

“Make it two.” Kakashi added and looked to Sesshomaru.

“I do not eat human food.” He informed.

Naruto gasped, apparently forgetting that he was supposed to be distrustful of Sesshomaru. “What, you’ve never had ramen?!”

“No.” The tone left no room for argument, and Sesshomaru chose to ignore the pleading eyes of Naruto. “What is your name?”

He had obviously heard it from Kakashi, but the kid seemed like the kind to want to talk. “I’m Uzumaki Naruto and I’ll be the next hokage!”

It was… a bold introduction, he’d give him that.

“Well, it is nice to meet you, Naruto. I am Sesshomaru.”

“Eh? What kinda name is that?”

Sesshomaru forced himself to remember this was a _child._ “The name my father gave me befitting a daiyoukai and leader of the Western Lands.”

People who said cats were the more prideful of the two had obviously never met an inu daiyoukai.

“A what?”

Kakashi choked on his laughter as Sesshomaru sighed. “Daiyoukai. I am an inu daiyoukai.”

Naruto scrunched his face up in thought. “One time Iruka-sensei mentioned that word but I don’t remember when. I think we were talking about the old hokages.”

“You want to be hokage, but do not pay attention to their history?” Naruto made an offended noise but Sesshomaru continued, “I am likely the daiyoukai your teacher mentioned. I fought alongside Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama who were both hokages.”

“Wow! You really are an old man!” Sesshomaru moved fast to swat the back of Naruto’s head, making sure his claws weren’t in the way.

“Then show respect to your elders.” He admonished.

“Why would I? They’re all mean to me anyways!”

“What do you mean?” He felt Kakashi tense next to him. He didn’t like where this was going.

“They call me names and sometimes throw things!” A portion of youki rose to the surface at his words.

“What do they call you?”

It wasn’t a question that Naruto would want to answer, but if Sesshomaru’s suspicions were right this village was about to get one hell of a wake-up call.

“Oh… they call me a demon most of the time, but I don’t get why.”

A flash of youki, dense and filled to the brim with fury, lashed out from Sesshomaru in a concentrated wave. “You do not know the reasoning?”

Naruto, who had felt the youki but clearly not understood what it was, shook his head.

“Daiyoukai are powerful creatures, above a common demon but still regarded as such by civilians. You have heard stories of the kyuubi?” Naruto nodded. Perhaps this wasn’t the best way to break the news to the kid, but Sesshomaru didn’t care at the moment. “That fox was sealed first within a woman known as Uzumaki Mito. She was _incredible_ and managed to subdue the kyuubi and seal it within her, making her the first jinchuuriki. Mito was a hero for containing the best which had killed so many.”

Naruto was clearly intrigued, and even more so at the name Uzumaki. “Wait, but-”

“The fox was passed on when Mito died, and though I have been gone many years it is clear it now resides in you.”

He finally paused to let the information process. Kakashi was frozen next to him, and Sesshomaru was sure it was only his own status as a youkai that prevented Kakashi from lashing out.

“I’m… a jinchuuriki? I have a monster in me?”

“No monster.” Naruto looked hopeful for a moment. “A demon, yes, but do not disillusion yourself into thinking that makes you anything but human. You hold a powerful being, but you are not that being.”

“But, the kyuubi was a demon _and_ a monster!”

Sesshomaru wondered at that reasoning. “I am a daiyoukai just as the kyuubi is. Do I appear a monster to you, Naruto?”

Naruto shook his head, “No, you bought me ramen.” His eyes flashed towards the bowls delivered by a panicked waitress.

“Then you understand; a demon is simply a being. Their actions and choices are what determine their worth.”

Clearly confused but not wanting to admit it, Naruto nodded.

Sesshomaru sighed. He clearly needed to have a talk with Naruto at a later date and the hokage, but he would allow Naruto a few days to process what he said and let him decide his own course.

\--

Kakashi wasn’t sure if Hiruzen realized just what he was doing by putting Sesshomaru in the apartment near to his.

It may seem silly from his perspective, but clans like the Inuzuka and Hatake practically viewed Sesshomaru as a god. Sesshomaru had been an active figure in the time of Senju Hashirama, and was often known as an honorary Senju. That wasn’t a title that was given away freely.

Not only did he have the trust and respect of the first hokages, he could _turn into a dog the size of a bijuu._ He practically _was_ a bijuu. Kakashi had heard mention of a rogue Kiri nin known as the ‘tailless tailed beast’, but thought Sesshomaru could grab that title easily.

He had helped the Inuzuka and Hatake in that time. Both clans were fairly new to the idea of ninken, and the Hatake had only just signed the summoning contract.

The Inuzuka had a rather tense relationship with their dogs at first. Until Sesshomaru showed up. He single-handedly worked with clan members to repair these relationships and teach them how to work together. It was because of him that the Inuzuka were able to use their signature clan techniques.

Then he had vanished.

Konoha as a whole was devastated, but three clans in particular. The Senju had just lost their potential family, but the Inuzuka and Hatake lost their mentor. Lost the man who made them realize their full potential.

Kakashi had once heard that summons regarded the bijuu highly. Cat summons praised the nibi and fox summons were known to worship the kyuubi. He had quite reliable information that the ninken he summoned were the same with Sesshomaru.

An inu daiyoukai was a new concept, but he had claimed to be the same as the bijuu.

Sometimes that assessment didn’t seem far off.

Watching Sesshomaru’s anger rise as he confronted Naruto about his heritage had _terrified_ Kakashi. It was incredible to watch Sesshomaru do anything, but even an ounce of rage reminded Kakashi of the honorary bijuu he was.

He was in no position to tell Sesshomaru to shut up because of the hokage’s laws, and only hoped Hiruzen understood.

He was asking Kakashi to keep watch over the man regarded as a god by multiple clans. It wasn’t a title earned easily.

Kakashi actually felt a bit concerned for the daiyoukai when remembering Inuzuka Tsume would return from a mission in a few days.

Clan heads didn’t go on missions often, but Tsume couldn’t stand the thought of being cooped up inside the village the rest of her life. She would be livid when she realized she missed Sesshomaru’s return.

Kakashi couldn’t help but wonder if _Sesshomaru_ realized what he had done. Obviously the youkai knew he had helped these clans, but did he realize the awe he had inspired? Did he know children were told stories of him, not as a demon but as a benevolent god?

It was almost hard to see the godly part of Sesshomaru at times. Between lounging across chairs in the hokage’s office or at ease watching Naruto eat ramen, he seemed almost human.

Then he would stand, and it was like everything snapped back into place until only a daiyoukai groomed to be a leader remained. There was a constant cloak of thick chakra around him that begged to be avoided, and Kakashi was fascinated.

Thankfully, he would have plenty of time to get to know Sesshomaru since Hiruzen had placed them directly across the hall from each other. It was a building meant for shinobi, especially those often on missions, but there could be no coincidence in the exact placement.

When leading Sesshomaru to the door he had expected some kind of question regarding Sesshomaru moving in, but the daiyoukai had merely paused briefly in the doorway to observe the apartment before entering and shutting the door behind him.

Kakashi could see how Sesshomaru had latched onto Naruto at dinner, and wondered if it was because he was a hurt child or because he was a jinchuuriki. Sesshomaru had spoken of the kyuubi with respect in his voice, and it was something Kakashi hadn’t heard about the fox before.

Well, if the daiyoukai decided to stick around Naruto, Kakashi hoped for the first time that the incoming team 7 would be able to pass his test.

\--

Sesshomaru was definitely _not_ brooding in his new apartment for two hours before taking back to the streets of Konoha.

The village was a large gathering of scents that were new to him, but it wasn’t hard to find the one he needed. If Naruto’s wasn’t distinct enough there was the undercurrent of fox youkai that stuck out like a sore thumb in the calm village.

He shouldn’t be so concerned about a child he had just met. Regardless of his status as a jinchuuriki, Sesshomaru should be able to move on and forget about the encounter. Still, something just didn’t sit right with him. It might have been the way he saw Naruto shift as they left the stand, shrinking shoulders replacing a bright smile.

Either way, he was currently winding his way through the village and into an apartment building he was sure was Naruto’s. It was… run down for lack of a better word. The son of a well known clan was shoved to this place?

Sesshomaru paused before the door with the highest concentration of Naruto’s scent and knocked gently. Naruto’s footsteps were blaringly loud as he ran to answer the door. He would have to teach him about stealth when-

Why would _he_ teach him?

“What do you want, old man?” Apparently the truth of Sesshomaru’s origins and their bonding time weren’t enough to imbed respect in Naruto.

“I wanted to know the state of your living quarters.” Naruto was confused but moved to let him in.

“Sorry, it’s a mess right now.” He apologized while shuffling his feet.

It was really no worse than anything he had seen from Inuyasha. A few clothes thrown about and some spiderwebs clearly out of Naruto’s reach, but not bad overall. Well, not bad on _Naruto’s_ part. There were water stains in various spots and one was dripping into a bucket near the corner.

The scent of something foul and faintly acidic was in the air, and he followed it to spots on the kitchen ceiling where mold was clearly growing.

“Have you told anyone about this?” Sesshomaru asked while pointing one finger towards the spots.

“Huh? Yeah, but the landlord said it was normal.”

Sesshomaru inhaled sharply. “Gather your things.”

“What?”

“You may not _be_ a daiyoukai, but you have the ability to hold one, and I will not allow you to live at risk.” That was true, but some hidden part of Sesshomaru that he chose to ignore wanted to add that he was also attached to the kid. Maybe it was that his eager optimism reminded him of Rin, but he did like Naruto.

“Wait, wait, wait. What risk?!” Naruto yelled as his eyes switched from Sesshomaru and the ceiling. “That stuff is dangerous?!”

Sesshomaru raised a brow. Hiruzen’s list of things to answer to was growing longer by the minute. “Quite. Come, you will stay with me tonight and tomorrow I will speak to the hokage.”

If Inuyasha could see him now…

Naruto was quick about gathering what he needed (and it didn’t even look like he had much and _Hiruzen better run)_ and joined Sesshomaru to walk back to his apartment.

“Why did you come back to Konoha?” Naruto questioned, eyeing the inu over the pile of clothes and blankets in his arms.

“I did not intend to be gone for such a period of time.” He answered. It was the truth, sort of. It may have taken Sesshomaru a few years to sort out his variety of emotional issues in his own time, but he had planned to return a bit sooner than one hundred years later.

Naruto, having enough common sense to move to a different conversation, was happy to fill the rest of their journey with enthusiastic small talk.

Sesshomaru revisited the thought of teaching Naruto stealth when they entered the shinobi apartment complex. He didn’t want to see how shinobi woken from sleep would react to the jinchuuriki.

Quickly ushering him up the stairs he stopped at their door to let Naruto in. As they were about to step in the door across from them opened.

Kakashi appeared looking especially rough with his headband at an odd angle and hair in an odd formation. His eye stayed on Sesshomaru a moment before drifting to Naruto then back to Sesshomaru.

“Yeah, I don’t get paid enough to care. Night.”

\--

As soon as the first ray of dawn drifted through the window Sesshomaru was on his feet and out the door. He left a note for Naruto explaining where he had gone and that he would return shortly.

He gave into his emotions for the first time in a while and allowed his youki to fully envelope him as he began the trek towards the hokage’s office. Sesshomaru was _livid_ and Hiruzen was the cause of nearly all of it.

Storming towards the office he ignored the shinobi and ANBU trying half-heartedly to stop his progress.

Sesshoaru burst through the doors in the office, paying no mind to the chuunin sat across from the hokage. “ _Hiruzen._ ” It came out as a growl; a sound no human could possibly make.

“Ah, Sesshomaru. To what do I owe the-”

“Enough.” He hissed, slamming his hands on the desk and not caring as his claws dug indents into the wood. “You dare not tell the Uzumaki about his heritage? He carries one of the greatest youkai and you _dare not tell him?!”_

\--

Iruka considered himself a fairly average chuunin. He had no dreams of advancing past his chuunin teaching position, but was still able to hold his own in an attack.

He hadn’t ever really been intimidated by another shinobi’s presence (except Itachi but that kid was a _nightmare_ ), but held the respect for stations above his.

Most of his free time was spent in the hokage’s office reporting on the academy students, and he loved it. He had always loved teaching and looking after kids, and this job was perfect for a shinobi not exactly keen on jumping back into combat.

When the kyuubi jinchuuriki had joined his class he had been reasonably hesitant. The kyuubi had been the one to kill his parents, and now its container sat innocently in a desk in the classroom. It took a few weeks, but Iruka was able to see past the kyuubi.

There was no trace of a monster fox in the kid that loved to pull pranks for affection and joke with the classmates willing to talk to him.

Iruka would always defend Naruto from those he knew had intent to harm, but he didn’t think he would ever hear someone defend the jinchuuriki as fiercely as the man next to him was now.

He had stormed into the office without an appointment, and when Iruka had gone to protest he had been swiftly shut down when the mass of chakra hit him. Compressed malice and fire formed into a mist that nearly suffocated him. It was as if he was back in time and for a moment he wondered if the kyuubi’s human form was before him.

It wouldn’t be hard to believe either, with the man’s elegant facial structure and ancient style of dress. If he could see the kyuubi with white hair it was a possibility.

“It was for his own protection.” Iruka was snapped back to the conversation around him. He was going to excuse himself and leave when he saw the discreet hand signal the hokage sent him. _Stay._ Shit, alright.

He had a sneaking suspicion he had told Iruka to stay out of fear for the chuunin’s life and wasn’t really a fan.

“ _Protection?!_ You think a child being tormented by an entire village excuses some half-assed protection?”

They could only be talking about Naruto, and Iruka wondered who the hell this guy was and how he knew Naruto. He was similar in appearance to the second hokage, and Iruka thought perhaps there was a relation there?

“If word got out that he was the fourth’s son _and_ a jinchuuriki he would have been in grave danger.”

“You believe no other village has a child jinchuuriki? You believe subjecting a child to horrid living arrangements means he is protected from outside threats? Did you ever consider the internal ones?” The man paused for a second and pulled his hands back to stand straight. Iruka’s eyes widened at the smoking marks in the desk where his nails were. “Hashirama would be disappointed.”

How the hell would this guy even know about Hashirama? He had never been in the village before as far as Iruka knew.

“Are you suggesting something different?”

Golden eyes narrowed, “He is living with me at the moment but I expect a more suitable place to be prepared by the end of the week.”

Just when Iruka thought it was over the man leaned forward and grabbed the front of the hokages robes. A shout died in Iruka’s throat as the man threatened the hokage, “Be glad I spare your life today. I have tolerated the daiyoukai being sealed but you should know I will not stand for them being so openly disrespected.”

Iruka wanted wholeheartedly to believe that Hiruzen could have thrown the man away from him before being let go. _Wanted._

The youkai stormed from the room with a last rush of chakra that nearly drove Iruka to the floor.

\--

Sesshomaru was no idiot. He had seen the glint in the hokage’s eyes as he steered the conversation. The connection between Sesshomaru and Naruto was weak, but Hiruzen hoped to strengthen it. If he managed to do so he hoped it would permanently tie Sesshomaru to Konoha so he couldn’t vanish again.

Still, he didn’t care for the moment if it meant providing Naruto a better home for the moment.

He was fully content to walk back to the apartment to meet the jinchuuriki. It was when Naruto questioned what lunch would be that day that Sesshomaru realized he didn’t think the whole ‘adopting another orphan’ thing through.

So he sent the boy across the hall to scavenge for food until he worked something out with Hiruzen.

After meeting Naruto, Sesshomaru was at peace in the village for about three days before being called in by Hiruzen.

“You know I don’t _do_ missions for you, Hiruzen.” He saw the slight flinch in the hokage’s frame and felt a sort of joy. It appeared the man was still wary from Sesshomaru’s rampage a few days prior. Good.

“Ah, Sesshomaru. This is… extenuating circumstances.” Sesshomaru sighed but took a seat across from the hokage. “There’s an assassination contract out for a kunoichi near Kirigakure. The target has a kekkei genkai that effectively disables other kekkei genkai in the area. Due to Konoha’s high volume of clan shinobi it would be better to send someone like you.”  
  
“You have no other shinobi capable?” Sesshomaru had seen the extent of the shinobi force of Konoha. There was no way none of them were able to carry out the mission. “Do your forces rely so heavily on their clan abilities?”

“Most kekkei genkai, even minor, are tied directly with chakra systems. Even a shinobi from a civilian family may have a bloodline somewhere in their history impacting their chakra networks.”

Sesshomaru barely kept himself from jumping down the well again, “Where is she located?”

\--

Kakashi was sure that if the menace known as Uzumaki Naruto showed up in his apartment one more time he would snap.

He had tolerated it for the first time since Naruto had been sent by Sesshomaru, but the routine was growing old fast. He was sure by now that Sesshomaru had food available for Naruto and just enjoyed harassing him.

Kakashi had just returned from a guard shift to find Naruto sprawled across his couch completely relaxed. “How did you get _in here?”_ Kakashi whined.

Naruto looked up with an easy-going grin. “Old man said he’ll be gone for a few days on a mission and that I should stay here.”

Kakashi was really starting to regret the whole ‘clan regards him as a god’ thing.

\--

The ease with which Sesshomaru took out the kunoichi was a bit shocking to him. He knew that he was the strongest youkai and therefore stronger than any foe he could face here, but Hiruzen had spoken as if she was a threat. Turns out he only needed his claws to get the job done.

He had debated on whether to return to Konoha right away (surely Hiruzen wouldn’t expect his tracking and skills to get the job done _this_ quickly) and was about to turn towards Konoha when a spike of youki flooded his senses.

It wouldn’t be a shock as he had sensed plenty while here, but this wasn’t the watered down youki he sensed in chakra. It was _pure_ youki, the likes of which he hadn’t sensed since the kyuubi.

Were they about to seal another bijuu? He wasn’t keen on letting that happen before assessing the situation. He had seen in the past few days what happened to a jinchuuriki made in a negative environment, and wasn’t about to let a daiyoukai be treated in the same way anytime soon.

His path quickly turned towards the flare, and he remembered just enough from Hiruzen’s maps to realize he was headed straight for Kirigakure. Thankfully the section of ocean to reach the island wasn’t a challenge with his ability of flight, and he touched down upon the shore less than an hour later.

The village was… well, misty, with towering mountains behind it and large cylindrical buildings. It wasn’t hard to tell where the mizukage would normally be found due to the kanji plastered on the side of the center building. Not to mention the massive amounts of chakra and youki curled around the area.

Sesshomaru jumped forward, landing on a nearby roof and assessing the situation. There were various shinobi around the area looking battered and bloody, but his eyes narrowed on the one cloaked in a rolling red youki. It branched out into three tails behind the shinobi and felt…

It felt _wrong._ Similar to the manipulation used by moth daiyoukai. Menomaru had been the last he had seen, however, and that moth had been torn apart by Kagome and Inuyasha.

A shout focused his attention back on the battle as a kunoichi was thrown back from the fight.

Sesshomaru drew Bakusaiga and sent out a sharp wave of youki. The three-tail whipped around at the call, ignoring the remaining shinobi and allowing them to retreat a few paces.

Growls caught somewhere between youkai and human echoed from the jinchuuriki, and Sesshomaru moved to meet the beast half-way. It moved in staggered steps as if unsure, and this close the sensation of _wrong_ was even stronger.

A sharp kick struck the jinchuuriki’s chest and he slid back a ways. Water gathered from the air around them at the bijuu’s command, and it formed dragons intent on Sesshomaru. He had practiced with Tobirama many times, and was too familiar with water techniques for it to be of much use.

He side-stepped the dragons, raising Bakusaiga as they circled back around. A slash of the blade accompanied by a wave of youki was enough to dispel the attack. Bakusaiga met flesh as Sesshomaru spun to meet the bijuu lunging towards him.

Hissing at the contact the bijuu attacked again. The movements were random and ineffective through the haze of anger, and Sesshomaru was reminded of Inuyasha when he assumed a full-demon form.

Sesshomaru’s attention was briefly ripped away to eye the two shinobi struggling to help a third to her feet across the clearing. The two standing looked to be barely adults and the third was _Naruto’s age._

A veil of red descended over his vision and Sesshomaru intercepted the jinchuuriki in his next attack. Acid dripping claws closed around his throat and slammed the bijuu to the ground. He thrashed against Sesshomaru’s hold, razor sharp nails catching his arm and neck. Sesshomaru growled, pressing his claws a bit deeper and summoning a large wealth of his youki to slam over the smaller figure.

The jinchuuriki _screamed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point I feel like I'm just using Sesshomaru's name and not personality kghlsdgkl oh well
> 
> Also I was so determined to have this scene as an ending that this chapter accidentally got long so sorry my other chapters will probably a lot shorter oop


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh yall the support ive gotten on this fic is incredible i love you all <3<3  
> Also we made a discord server!!  
> Join us for shitty memes mostly it's great  
> https://discord.gg/Mnxc6qX

In his defense, Zabuza had totally expected his plan to work.

Between the stealth he and Haku were capable of it should have been easy to get the jump on Yagura. That he had multiple shinobi backing him up should have only made it easier.

It wasn’t as if he wanted to kill Yagura; the man had been great once. Zabuza had been thrilled when he was first made mizukage. It was obvious Yagura disagreed with most Kiri traditions and wanted to change them. He took less obvious steps than killing his whole graduating class to make a point, but still made sense.

When… something had changed, everything went back to shit. Yagura turned into a tyrant hellbent on making Kiri the worst possible place to live.

Probably wasn’t the best place to bring the kid he picked up off the street, but, hey, better than the kid starving to death.

Though, eyeing the chakra cloak wrapped heavily around the mizukage, maybe it  _ wasn’t _ .

Even Haku’s ice seemed to barely scratch the beast, and most of the shinobi fighting were seriously injured. Zabuza was taking a moment to rest against  Kubikiribōchō while Yagura stood across the clearing  _ snarling  _ at them.

A kunoichi by the name of Airi went sailing past him, and that was the only warning Zabuza got. A figure that was  _ definitely  _ not a Kiri shinobi was perched on the edge of a rooftop and sending off a wave of chakra nearly as concentrated as the stuff curled around the jinchuuriki. It sent a shiver of dread down Zabuza’s spine.

The fucker was  _ fast  _ and met Yagura in a flurry of blows that even he had trouble keeping track of.

He dodged a water dragon jutsu and countered it with a  _ sword  _ and pure  _ chakra.  _ How the hell it as possible remained to be said.

Zabuza took the opportunity presented by the distracted jinchuuriki, though, and raced forward to Haku’s side. The kid had taken a pretty big hit to the stomach and was barely conscious. Another shinobi- Hideyo, if he remembered correctly- rushed over to support Haku’s other side and drag him off the field.

They were nearly clear when every shinobi in the area  _ froze _ . A mass of chakra erupted from the figure that  _ had the mizukage pinned to the ground _ and flared out.

It was thicker than any chakra Zabuza had felt and made his breath catch in his throat. It was  _ terrifying.  _ And kinda hot, but mostly terrifying.

The man-jinchuuriki? He had to be with that level of chakra- had teeth bared towards Yagura and pressed down with the full weight of his chakra. Zabuza wasn’t sure what it was supposed to do, but it did  _ something  _ judging by the scream that echoed from Yagura.

He almost felt bad for the guy.

\--

Sesshomaru was used to overpowering enemies with youki. It was common among youkai to display power through shows of raw youki, and as a Lord and daiyoukai he had many challengers. Only a few, though, were ever under any kind of control.

It had happened though, and his father had been the one to teach him in those situations. Sesshomaru’s first instinct was always to kill the attacker regardless of whether or not it was of their own free will. A threat was a threat and that was something his more demonic side had always known.

It had been the great Inu No Taisho to scold his way of thinking. If an attacker was not of their own mind then they shouldn’t be held responsible. Sesshomaru had disagreed with that logic. They should be strong enough to resist the control of lesser youkai

_ “What if your mother were to be possessed into striking you?” _ He had asked.

Sesshomaru had wisely not responded.

At that time in his life he hadn’t been sure. If his life was at risk, he would have no issue putting down any threat regardless of familial ties. It was never something pleasant to think about, but Sesshomaru had known that he valued his own life above others. It was the common thought of youkai that were by nature solitary.

But, that had changed. Maybe it had been the brief moments of adoration of a younger brother, or the unquestionable loyalty and love from Rin. Perhaps even the acceptance of the Senju brothers.

Maybe it was just his nature as an inu. Inu youkai, especially daiyoukai, were fiercely protective of those they valued. In his time it had been Rin, Kohaku, and A-Un. They were his pack and he would protect them with everything he had. That feeling had spread in part to the company Inuyasha kept, and wasn’t that a thought.

Either way, something had changed his mind about the whole matter.

So, rather than end the jinchuuriki’s life with a twist of his claws, he bore down with his youki in the way his father had shown him.

An overwhelming force of outside youki was usually enough to break the hold over the mind. It was a bit more challenging for those influenced by daiyoukai, but still feasible for one of his caliber.

This proved true, as the jinchuuriki’s eyes seemed to spin into a pattern of red and black that Sesshomaru recognized from the Uchiha clan. He had heard rumors… but had one truly managed to control a jinchuuriki and bijuu?

Yagura cried out again, but this time it was from the anguish of the control breaking with a near audible snap. “ _ Fuck!”  _

Sesshomaru released his hold and stood to step back from the jinchuuriki. Yagura was panicked in the way he had only seen from Rin after straying too close to a wolf pack.

“I trust you have regained reason?”

“Holy  _ shit!”  _ Yagura instead yelled, bringing up a hand to rub at his neck where the bijuu was already struggling to heal the wounds left by Sesshomaru’s claws. “What the  _ fuck!? I’m gonna kill that bastard!”  _

“You know the one who controlled you?” Yagura’s attention was finally drawn to him. He paused as he seemed to take in everything that had happened. After being controlled for years he awoke to the worst pain he had experienced and… whatever Sesshomaru was standing over him.

“I’m torn between thanking you and another ‘what the fuck.’” He admitted after a long moment.

Sesshomaru snorted in amusement. “I suppose that confirms you have regained your senses.”

“Yeah, oh  _ fuck.”  _ Yagura groaned as he stood. “Oh,  _ shit,  _ my body feels like it’s been at the bottom of a lake this whole time.”

“Ah, an unfortunate side effect of my method of breaking the hold.”

“You did this?” Yagura questioned with a hurt expression. “Damn, now you really aren’t getting  a thank you.”

“Would you have preferred to stay under the control of an Uchiha?”

Apparently this was enough to set Yagura back on track as the jinchuuriki snarled. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill that guy! How dare he?!”

Sesshomaru ignored Yagura’s continued ranting and looked towards the shinobi watching warily. “I believe you should reassure your forces that you are alright.”

Yagura glanced over and nodded. “Yeah, right- wait.” The mizukage stomped a few feet forward while clutching his odd staff. “Momochi! Did you just try to fucking  _ assassinate me?!" _

Sesshomaru took a moment to consider just how many people in this new world reminded him of Inuyasha. It wasn’t a pleasant thought.

“Oh, fuck.” Ah, that must be Momochi.

Sesshomaru turned to watch as one of the shinobi that had been helping the child frantically tried to explain himself to the jinchuuriki. The child that had been hurt was now resting against a tree and Sesshomaru approached them.

“Thanks for helping us.” Sesshomaru nodded at the thanks. He was about to tell the kid off for even fighting when they continued, “I know Mizukage-sama and Zabuza-sama won’t say it, so…” They groaned and closed their eyes. “It means a lot to them both. Zabuza-sama loves this village despite its flaws.”

Sesshomaru hummed in acknowledgement. “And the Mizukage? How long has he been under control?”

Haku got halfway through the motion of a shrug before they had to stop with a wince. “I don’t know exactly. He’s been that way since I came to the village about three years ago.”

Yagura and Zabuza were making their way back over then. “Plus, you can’t really blame me when you hurt my apprentice.” Zabuza barked. “Just look at them!”

Sesshomaru glanced at Haku for a moment and ignored Yagura’s spluttered, “When the fuck did you get a kid?!"

“It doesn’t look too severe. Should heal within a few weeks.” Sesshomaru advised.

Yagura waved his hand dismissively. “It’ll be fine. Just get them to the hospital.”

Ah, that’s right. Sesshomaru often forgot the innovations shinobi had made with medical care overall, never mind the medical jutsu.

He had been absolutely shocked when Hashirama had shown him to their hospital where a healer stitched together a wound in seconds. Talents like that were extremely rare in youkai and to hear any shinobi could master it...

“You.” Yagura pointed to Sesshomaru. “I wanna talk to you in my office while Momochi takes care of the kid.”

Sesshomaru ignored the growl that wanted to rise in his chest at being ordered around. Instead he nodded and followed Yagura when he began to walk towards the building nearby.

“So, I guess I should start by asking for your name.” Yagura said as they arrived in an office that vaguely resembled the Konoha one Sesshomaru was used to.

“Sesshomaru of the Western Lands.” He replied on near instinct.

Yagura’s eyes widened and lit up with a child-like joy. “ _ Senju Sesshomaru?!” _

“Se-  _ what _ ?” Those  _ bastards.  _

“It’s you? Why are you back now?”

Sesshomaru considered how easily people seemed to accept that he was the daiyoukai from one hundred years prior even when they seemed to know little about youkai at all. Perhaps it was the attire, or the fact that no one would be dumb enough to claim the title.

“It wasn’t exactly a choice.” He mused. “But, if you mean this area, I was on a mission of my own when I sensed the youki from your bijuu.”

“Ah,” Yagura nodded as if he understood before quickly ruining the illusion, “What the fuck is youki?”

Sesshomaru spent the next three hours explaining the Yagura the basics of youkai, youki, and how he had freed Yagura from his mind control.

He was  _ pissed.  _ He had known in Hashirama’s time that the Uchiha were powerful, but hadn’t realized just how dangerous they were. An Uchiha had managed to control the mind of a bijuu.

While he knew that he was too strong to fall for such tricks, he felt a fierce flash of inu protectiveness over the other bijuu. He knew there were nine, and had already met two. There was no way in hell he would allow a single other to be held under an Uchiha’s control like Yagura was.

But he had no way of knowing that they weren’t already.

Sesshomaru found himself making a promise to at least check on the other bijuu and wondered what had become of his pride. He would have to report to Konoha soon, but this held more importance to him.

He almost felt sorry for the Uchiha responsible. When Sesshomaru found them he would  _ destroy  _ them for even daring to possess a daiyoukai.

The process of explaining everything to Yagura was incredibly tedious, but he supposed he should get used to it. The people of this time weren’t the type to bow in his presence simply because he was a daiyoukai.

He honestly wasn’t sure if he missed that or not.

\--

Obito hissed, feeling the distant spike of chakra that meant his control snapped. It was the genjutsu placed over the Mizukage. What could have caused it to break? Well, death, but Obito was pretty sure Yagura hadn’t died. A normal shinobi would have no hope of breaking his genjutsu, and there weren’t any Uchiha alive that would dare to break it (or have the ability to).

Zetsu looked up from what he was working on, “What is it?”

“Something broke my control over the Mizukage.” Zetsu’s eyes widened at that.

“Then go replace it!”

“I…” Obito wasn’t sure how to describe what had happened. It felt… wrong. It wasn’t something natural that had shattered his control. Yagura hadn’t died, and there wasn’t another explanation. He got the feeling Zetsu recognized this as well but didn’t want to think about the implications. “It doesn’t feel like something I can fix.” And that was true. It wasn’t like a normal genjutsu break. When that happened it was like the sharingan left remnants in the chakra of his enemies and it was too simple to re-embed genjutsu.

Zetsu narrowed his eyes at Obito’s half-assed explanation. He was sure Zetsu was about to kick his ass when a hawk flew into the room and landed at the edge of the table Zetsu sat at.

Obito let out a quiet sigh of relief at the distraction. Anything that meant Zetsu’s anger wasn’t focused on him was a win in his book. He didn’t really feel like facing the plant’s wrath today.

The scroll must have been important to go through the multiple barriers set up around their base, and Obito recognized the bird as belonging to Nagato. What had the Akatsuki leader spooked enough to contact them directly?

Apparently it was a lot, judging by the way Zetsu inhaled sharply and tensed. “What is it?” he called, not quite believing in his luck enough to approach to read the scroll himself.

“It seems a Senju has finally returned to the battlefield.” Obito was about to question what the  _ fuck  _ that meant when Zetsu turned to face him fully. “Don’t worry about the Mizukage. I have a much more important target for you to focus on.” Obito inhaled again and felt a dread settle in him at the look in Zetsu’s eyes. “Our plans appear to moving much faster than we thought.”


	4. IV

In her defense, Mei had totally expected his plan to fail.

Zabuza had always been brash in action, and once that had led to an entire graduating class being wiped out. It always amazed Mei that he had survived this long.

Granted, the revolution of Kirigakure was something they had been planning together. The reign of Yagura had to come to an end one way or another. She hadn’t expected that way to be at the hands of an ancient demon, but that’s the way the genjutsu crumbles, apparently.

Mei hadn’t been on the front lines of battle. She was placed behind the fight to prevent loyal ANBU from following to protect their leader. How they continued to follow a tyrant like Yagura was a mystery to her.

It wasn’t openly stated, but Mei knew that she was also located away from the main battle to remain in the village should the others fail to bring down the Mizukage. Mei wouldn’t have difficulty killing any ANBU in her way and covering her tracks, after all.

That was almost what she was hoping to happen. Yagura had been her friend for years, and this sudden change had hurt her. It was horrid to see someone so lively and joyful become nearly mindless in such a short time.

She couldn’t stand the thought of killing him, but she couldn’t allow this reign to continue. Granted, she obviously didn’t want Zabuza and the other shinobi she knew to die, but it had to go one way or the other and she _hated_ it. Perhaps that was why she had been selected as the back-up plan.

Regardless, she had been away from the main line of fire when a sudden chakra flare drew the attention of most shinobi in the area. It wasn’t the familiar chakra of Yagura or the sanbi, so she decided ‘fuck hiding’.

Dispatching the ANBU before her was quick work and she arrived at the battlefield to find a few lone shinobi mostly making their way towards the hospital. She recognized Zabuza leading his apprentice away and approached, “Momochi!”

Mei chose to ignore the way he tried to move away faster but was held back by Haku.

The shinobi turned and didn’t look as distraught as she had expected. “What the hell happened here?” There were the signs of battle she anticipated, but nowhere near the amount of bodies she predicted. And no sign of Yagura.

“Well, ya know, that’s a damn good question.” Zabuza’s terse reply obviously wasn’t what Mei was hoping for. Haku took one look at Mei’s face, felt her chakra cut through the air, and their entire body went through the five stages of grief as it accepted that this is the end.

“Where’s the Mizukage?” Sometimes Mei remembered just how much she hated interaction with annoying characters like Momochi. She prayed his influence wouldn’t spread to his apprentice. At least they had some common sense like ‘don’t piss off the kunoichi who’s clueless at the moment and worried about her best friend’.

“Oh, with some other jinchuuriki or something in his office. He’s normal now.” Haku has never wished their guardian would _just shut up_ more in their life.

“Yagura-sama was under the control of a sharingan. The man who helped managed to break its hold and is with him now.” Haku rushed out in an attempt to make up for Zabuza’s half-assed explanation. Mei’s chakra simmered back into the ever-present fire normally there, and Haku let out an audible sigh of relief.

“The rumors were true then.” Mei’s words were quiet, and Haku got the vague impression it was only her introspective thoughts keeping Zabuza alive.

Rumors had been around for years that something had happened to the Mizukage a while after he was made into a jinchuuriki. It wasn’t hard to see the change, since he went from a peaceful and overall kind leader to a horrible one overnight. Still, with the destruction of the Uchiha clan Mei hadn’t been sure. Of course she would love to believe that it had all been at the behest of someone else, but that was a whole other can of worms.

Who had the ability to control Yagura? The only Uchiha alive that she knew of were the kid living in Konoha and the clan killer himself. Itachi had been too young at the time to be believed to place a genjutsu on the Mizukage and hold it, so who else could have?

Mei had heard of Kakashi from Konoha and his sharingan, and it led to some rather depressing questions.

Could someone else not of the Uchiha clan hold a sharingan?

Once again, not something she really wanted to deal with.

“Tell me what happened. I want to hear every detail.”

Mei could feel her features morph from confusion to horror and right back as Haku took the initiative to recount what had happened. The description of the man… He wasn’t an average shinobi, and Mei had heard whispers of the only one matching that description.

But, if a Senju from the founding of the villages had returned... for what purpose? He had practically single-handedly saved Kirigakure, and apparently didn’t seem to fully understand what he had done.

Mei let out a groan. She and Zabuza had planned to fight over the Mizukage position once everything settled down, but now she wanted nothing more than to throw the hat at him and run. This was _not_ something she wanted to deal with.

Still, if Yagura was free from control he would probably keep the position. And if he was talking to who she thought he was right now, it wasn’t a conversation she wanted to burst in on. So she was content to assist the shinobi on the field for a few hours before Yagura’s return.

Zabuza had returned by that time, but Haku remained in the hospital waiting for the healers to attend to him. Mei, Zabuza, and the few other scattered shinobi had just finished clearing and repairing the area- and really did these jinchuuriki just not give a shit when they fought?-when Yagura and an unfamiliar man walked from the administration building.

Mei was stunned at the appearance of who could only be Senju Sesshomaru. He was regal in a way she had never seen before, and she could feel the barely contained power at this distance. It wasn’t a surprise that he had been able to rip through the genjutsu of a sharingan. His chakra was vivid and raw and sent a chill down her spine as he came closer. She understood the way Konoha praised him like a hokage.

“Oi, Terumi!” Yagura ran a few more steps and pulled the hat off his head before whipping it towards her. “No takebacks!” The hat only avoided falling uselessly to the ground by her instincts kicking in and catching it.

“What?” Mei was… really confused. Yagura grinned and Sesshomaru’s lips twitched.

“Told you.” The _ex-_ Mizukage gloated. “I can’t keep the hat if Kiri’s gonna improve. I have too much negative history plus a reputation for being mind-controlled.” He shrugged as if that explained everything.

“ _Why me?”_ Mei turned, tempted to throw it to Zabuza only to find he had disappeared. The _bastard._

Normally Mei would be overjoyed. She loved her village and had always dreamed about leading it, but really didn’t want to deal with the village reforms _and_ whatever the situation with Sesshomaru was. Which, considering he just beat-down a jinchuuriki, was probably pretty major.

“What, did you think I’d give it to Momochi?” Mei made a considerable effort to keep back her laugh. “Plus, you’re the only one in the rebellion that didn’t actively try to kill me and that earns points in my book.” Yagura grinned and came close enough to pat Mei’s arm encouragingly. “You’ll be great for Kiri and you know it.”

Unfortunately, she did know it. There was history to his decision that she hadn't thought about in a long time. She had known Yagura for years and seen enough from how to understand how to run the village. They had even discussed that she was to take over if anything happened. “You have to promise to help me. I may be the face for a new Kiri, but like hell are you abandoning this village.”

Yagura snorted, “Well, I’m not leaving, but I can’t imagine I’ll be able to do much for a while since the people kinda hate me right now.” His eyes flicked to Sesshomaru, “Maybe I’ll take a vacation with Dog Boy over here.”

Mei let out a whine at the term. Her chakra instinctively gathered as if she would need it to protect Yagura. She was shocked when the- jinchuuriki? He had to be- laughed so quietly she could have sworn she imagined it.

“I’d understand that. Zabuza and I can pass around the truth so when you get back it’s not too bad.”

“Yeah, but I’m not returning until I kick that Uchiha’s fucking _ass.”_

 _“Language.”_ Mei scolded without thinking about it. But, that little thing gave her a new hope. It had been so long since she had even _talked_ with Yagura, let alone gone back to their casual banter.

“Sorry. When I kick his fucking _butt.”_ Yagura and Mei looked to each other for a moment before laughing.

“Missed you, Shrimp.” There was a teasing tone, but they both knew she meant it more than they could imagine.

“Oi, like you’re one to talk, Rusty.” The taunt didn’t even reach Mei as she was so focused on her best friend being alive, healthy, and sane before her.

It didn’t seem possible: keeping her old friend Yagura and new companion Zabuza alive and in her life. She didn’t care about anything else at that moment. The responsibilities of being the Mizukage were a mere distant worry, and she couldn’t even bring herself to question Sesshomaru.

Mei was _home._

\--

Sesshomaru was quite adamant in shutting down Yagura’s attempts to ‘vacation’ with him. Really, it would probably help put the other jinchuuriki at ease if there was another with him, but Sesshomaru wasn’t quite fond enough of Yagura to spend weeks with the loud ex-kage.

Mei, the new Mizukage, and Haku, Zabuza’s apprentice, were much more tolerable. The young one was calm and calculating, but in a good way. They reminded Sesshomaru of himself, but with less murderous intentions. Naruto would benefit from being friends with them, if Zabuza and Haku ever made it to Konoha.

And… there went his thoughts again, drifting towards Konoha and its inhabitants. Where had this affection come from? Sesshomaru was taught by his father to be compassionate, but the lessons had never truly stuck. He was much more in tune with his mother that barely even regarded Sesshomaru as her own son.

Rin was an exception to the rule. He was a daiyoukai, and not meant to have such relations with humans. Then again, his father had done so and never regretted it.

Either way, Sesshomaru could feel the inu in him longing to return to Konoha and his honorary pack member. And wasn’t that a thought. He hadn’t imagined having people so close to him other than Rin and A-Un.

Sesshomaru knew part of it was the draw of the daiyoukai sealed in him. It was strange being the only true youkai in a land of powerful humans. He missed home, honestly.

It was painful not knowing how Rin was. Had she aged while he was gone? Her life was already so short compared to his, and he couldn’t stand the thought of returning to see he missed years of her life.

Inuyasha had meant is as a taunt, but he wasn’t wrong in his statement that Rin was like a daughter to Sesshomaru.

“Yo, Barkley!” Sesshomaru was certain Yagura had a death wish. “You wanted to find the other jinchuuriki, yeah?”

Sesshomaru sighed as he looked up at the approaching Yagura. He had been content to be lost in thought while relaxing against a tree but leave it to the jinchuuriki to ruin that. “Eventually, yes.” Because he had already stayed in Kirigakure for a week while very basic reforms began. He even occasionally noticed members of the newly formed ANBU Protection Unit devoted to guarding the Mizukage. It seemed as if the village was coming along nicely and he would leave soon to return to Konoha. (And if he met another bijuu on the way, well, that just made his job easier.)

“Well, good, cause I just got word he’s still nearby.” Sesshomaru perked up at that.

“He is from Kirigakure?”

Yagura hummed in agreement, “But he left the village a few years ago. I only found out he’s in the area again.”

“Will you invite him to return?”

“Ah, I don’t think thats my invitation to make.” Yagura grinned and Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.

“So this information is not solely for my benefit?”

Waving his hand dismissively Yagura protested, “Maa, this information’s totally free! No strings attached! Just, you know, if it _happens_ to come up and he wants to return…” He trailed off with a light laugh.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes but stood from his place and took the scroll from Yagura. “You’ll be back soon, right?” The youkai looked down to the hopeful eyes of Yagura.

“I will. After all, I believe I owe you a vacation.” And Sesshomaru was gone.

\--

It only took Sesshomaru an hour to reach where Utakata was last seen, and arrived just in time to see what he could only assume were bandits approaching the teen. He seemed to be unaware, but Sesshomaru could see his hand tightened around the pipe he held and his eyes darting from side to side as he walked.

Touching down silently on a nearby tree branch he crouched down to wait and see what happened. Yagura had been aggressive with his jinchuuriki abilities and fairly competent with them. This jinchuuriki…

Well, he wasn’t very identifiable as a youkai. He was a slug, no doubt, but there was an underlying acidity that Sesshomaru was curious about.

The first bandit leapt forward and…

It was shockingly anti-climactic.

Sesshomaru watched in awe as bubbles containing the bandits drifted lazily into the sky. It was… an interesting attack, he’d give him that.

“Are you also here to fight?” The jinchuuriki was watching him with apprehension.

“It is not my intention. You are Utakata, yes?”

The kid-though he looked to be about twenty- narrowed his eyes and shuffled the hand holding his pipe slightly. “Did Kiri send you?”

“I was in Kiri, yes, but not with orders to track or harm you.” Not that Sesshomaru would listen to any orders from the current or former Mizukage, but that didn’t need to be mentioned yet.

Utakata was clearly distrusting- not that Sesshomaru blamed him. He wasn’t sure how long the kid had been on his own since he left the village, but he couldn’t detect any sign of the teacher Yagura had said he was with. “Who are you then?”

“Sesshomaru.” He was _really_ getting tired of the way eyes widened in response to his name.

“Sesshomaru? The Sanbi mentioned you.” Oh. That was new. “I usually ignore the messages from my bijuu but… is it true you freed the Mizukage?”

He hummed and nodded his head in affirmation. “He was under the influence of a sharingan.”

Utakata inhaled sharply. “Sharingan?”

Sesshomaru nodded again while moving closer onto the path. “Where is your mentor? Yagura implied you were not traveling alone.”

The sudden slouch of Utakata’s frame took him by surprise. Biting his lip the jinchuuriki looked away and that told Sesshomaru everything he needed to know. “Have you searched for a new mentor? Your bijuu is unstable.”

He was worried about the kid. The six-tails was _not_ happy, and if it continued to linger so close to the surface while thrashing about like this, it would tear Utakata to shreds.

“Where do you think I’d find someone willing to teach me?” Utakata spat.

Sesshomaru was once again reminded of the judgement and discrimination the jinchuuriki faced. Truthfully, he didn’t know many that would be willing to train him. Granted, he didn’t know that many people in this world. There was, however, one he could think of. It was by chance but appreciated that he also used water techniques.

“... Yagura was looking to go on a vacation.”

It hadn’t taken much more than that to convince Utakata to seek out Yagura. Sesshomaru got the sense that the kid could also tell just how fucked he would be if he continued to let the six-tails rampage.

Either way, Sesshomaru had pointed him in the direction of Kirigakure and set out in the opposite direction. It was vaguely towards Konoha, but he wasn’t in any rush to reach it.

After drifting from village to village Sesshomaru was beginning to miss solitude. Rin was a constant source of worry and noise, but she was also respectful when Sesshomaru would vanish in order to be alone. Even a youkai as social as an inu had their moments of, well, being anti-social.

Part of it was mostly due to the way the youki of other daiyoukai could be overwhelming at times. A daiyoukai made much less effort to hide their power than a lower youkai just trying to slide by. Eventually it began to grate on the nerves. Power displays of others, even in their own pack, were inherently seen as a threat. Not that it would ever be acted upon, but it would build a sense of stress over time.

For Sesshomaru being surrounded by so many shinobi with the youkai systems of weak or half-youkai, it was torture. He had a few moments of freedom before meeting Utakata, but he hadn’t wanted to travel too slowly and miss his chance. Now, though, he was free to walk towards Konoha at a much more sedated pace.

It felt like the first time since being in this world that he was able to calm himself again. The residual youki residing in every aspect of nature was soothing in a way he couldn’t describe. It was even stronger here than in his original world.

Hashirama had been able to physically change the ground and trees, so it shouldn’t be a shock that they were so dense in youki. Sesshomaru thought on this topic for a moment longer before taking a deep breath and focusing less on shinobi and more on the peace around him.

He should have known that wouldn’t last.

Really, it should be expected for things to not go as planned. The plan had been to wander through the village he was approaching rather than take the time to go around. It was rather small, and didn’t seem to have a high shinobi content. There were a few bright spots, yes, but he could only assume they were travelers, rogues, or shinobi on missions.

One in particular was practically glowing in his senses, but he chose very valiantly to ignore it for the time being. It was too difficult to differentiate scents in the area due to the perfumes they apparently specialized in- which, really, he was rather pissed about- so he couldn’t have known before they crossed paths.

Sesshomaru had accepted the deaths of those from his first visit. Death wasn’t a foreign concept to him and he hadn’t had the bonds to draw a larger reaction than one he could  hide. Sure, Hashirama had offered to be his family, and _maybe_ there could have been a genuine connection there, but Sesshomaru hadn’t stayed.

He had left the instant he began to think of those shinobi as his pack. It wasn’t a connection he wanted or needed since he still had to return to his own in a different land.

The knowledge that his potential family was long gone had hurt, yes, but he had time to work past any lingering emotions or regrets. Until now, apparently.

“Maru?”

Because there had only been one in the old times willing to call him by that dumb nickname. She was given some freedoms since it was hard to pronounce his full name, of course, but that didn’t change the fact that she had been one of the shinobi closest to him.

Senju Tsunade stood across from him with the most heartbroken expression he had ever seen on her. But with her bright blonde hair and the shimmering point of youki on her forehead it wasn’t hard for his senses to confirm her identity. She was still _young_ even by shinobi standards. He wondered just what lengths she had gone to to preserve her own life.

“Tsunade.”

In less time than it took to draw a breath her expression morphed into a rage he had only witnessed a handful of times (most on Inuyasha). Tsunade bared her teeth in a manner reminiscent of the Inuzuka and clenched her fists at her side before shuffling her feet into the stance he had taught her. A blade similar in design to Bakusaiga was drawn from her waist as she snarled, “You _asshole!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zabuza: makin my way downtown, walkin fast-  
> Mei: MOMOCHI  
> Zabuza: WALKIN FASTER


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long absence! I've been back at school and everything has been really chaotic oof!

Anger wasn't a foreign concept to Tsunade. She may have a few issues analyzing other emotions, but this was one she had no issue with (especially after growing up with the likes of Hashirama and Sesshomaru). It wasn’t that she  _ liked  _ having such a short temper, but she had to admit it had gotten her out of quite a few sticky situations.

Sometimes she wondered if the only reason she didn’t solely rely on her own brute strength was the-admittedly very little- patience Sesshomaru had taught her. The youkai, despite his general standoffishness, had been an  _ incredible  _ mentor and sensei to Tsunade. He had taught her how to combine her natural strength with a blade for more lethal attacks! Granted, for him the strength was normal, but the look on Hashirama’s face had been worth it.

Then… he had left. Hashirama had invited him into the family and he  _ vanished.  _ Konoha shinobi had spent quite some time looking too. Tsunade would never admit it, but she had spent a good majority of her time outside the village (and even when she was with the other sannin on a team) keeping an ear out for rumors and even asking after him.

Someone as strong as Sesshomaru wouldn’t have been killed by some random rogue, and it wasn’t as if he could just disappear to another world!

Tsunade had been crushed, of course, suddenly losing her sensei and a part of her family. But... she wasn’t mad on her behalf. Sesshomaru had abandoned the entire village.

She had seen Hashirama’s expression when he shared the news that Sesshomaru was gone. She had seen the stoic Tobirama’s face fall when the third scouting team returned with the same news. She had seen the Inuzuka and Hatake family mourn when his scent ended at a well. She had seen a village lament a fallen hero.

But he hadn’t fallen at all. He had somehow escaped their notice for decades. And now, now that her entire family was dead… now he returns?

Tsunade was sure she had never been more enraged than the moment she saw that flash of long white hair in the village. She had been tracking rumors, sure, but those had more to do with a jinchuuriki battle and less with a dog demon.

“You asshole!” She cried, and she meant it. If he hadn’t left as he had she was sure she would be overjoyed to see him again. Some part of her was cheering at the knowledge that a part of her past was living and standing before her, but it was overshadowed by the portion raging on behalf of a Konoha long gone.

“Tsunade.” He repeated her name again, this time less of a greeting and more of a warning.

Tsunade wasn’t dumb enough to miss that either. For all that her rage seemed to consume her she was still smart. And what  _ wasn’t  _ smart was to piss off a daiyoukai that already looked stressed. Especially not with such a blatant lack of respect.

“Sesshomaru-sensei.” None of the bite was gone from her tone, but the adding of the title seemed to appease him the slightest bit. “Where have you been?”

Her fingers were still coiled tightly around her blade. The blade forged as a replica of  _ his.  _ She wouldn’t strike. Not like this. As bold and brave as she may be, even she would admit she didn’t stand a chance against him alone. If Jiraiya and Orochimaru were here…

“I attempted to return to my own world but was sent forward in time.” His words were harsh and clipped. Something Tsunade came to expect when Sesshomaru wasn’t in the best of moods.

It wasn’t what Tsunade expected, but it hurt worse than any other explanation could have. He had  _ meant  _ to leave. Not just leave the village; but leave their  _ world _ . Hashirama had invited him to stay and he  _ fled. _

“You…" She would never admit the way her voice faltered. Thank god Shizune wasn’t here to witness it.

“I am at fault. I left because I was afraid if what your grandfather asked of me. It was not my intention to leave for years, but I still caused your family pain. For that I am sorry.”

Tsunade’s eyes flickered to the way his claws tightened in the fabric of his sleeve. She had  _ never  _ heard anything even close to an apology from the youkai before. Sesshomaru had always been confident in his actions and never hesitant in speech.

“I-” Tsunade pursed her lips and lowered her gaze. She… wasn’t sure how to react to that. Of course she had been ready to punch first ask questions second, but he had apologized and… meant it.

“I do not expect your forgiveness.” Sesshomaru admitted. “You have been hurt for years while I was gone for merely a moment.”

Tsunade had a lot to think about regarding this, but wasn’t allowed the time to ask any more questions before a familiar falcon swooped from the air.

\--

Sesshomaru couldn’t believe he was admitting fault. Sure, it was something his father had taught him. “You must own up to your own mistakes to keep peace” and all that. But, what need was there for apologies when you faced no threat? He was sure the only time he had truly apologized was to Rin, and in his eyes anything involving her was extenuating circumstances.  _ Especially  _ when his careless mistake had led them right next to a wolf pack. He didn’t think he would ever forgive himself for the terror in her eyes.

Still, he had ruined his chance at family before. Once, when he cast away Inuyasha and even his own mother to an extent. Twice, when he abandoned Hashirama in fear. He wouldn’t make the same mistake a third time.

Emotions were something challenging to face, but he couldn’t renounce the connections he had already made here. If he couldn’t return home, why shouldn’t he make a new one?

Sesshomaru had already sworn himself to the jinchuuriki and bijuu of this land in an effort to save the last of his kind. What was the harm in accepting the surname everyone already seemed to know? It wasn’t as if there were a dozen Senju running around to dispute the claim.

As far as he had been told Tsunade was the last of the Senju. That was… well, it hurt more to hear than he would ever admit. The family that wanted to take him in, give him their name… they were nearly all gone. Sesshomaru felt he had betrayed the family that had given him so much.

He was truthful when he said he didn’t expect her forgiveness. Sesshomaru knew ruling with fear. Understanding the way lies like that were told in an effort to gain favor, he wanted to make sure it wasn’t an option. Not that Tsunade would ever fear him.

No, she understood his weaknesses all too well. She meant too much to him.

Sesshomaru was sure Tsunade was about to bombard him with questions before the Hokage’s personal falcon descended. “From the Hokage?” Tsunade questioned, apparently forgetting any hesitation in her curiosity.

The letter was short; uncomfortably so considering its contents.

_ Naruto's new team was in danger. _

He felt the fraction of red bleed into his eyes as he turned the note for Tsunade who sucked in a harsh breath. “The Uzumaki kid?” She scanned his expression and recognized it all too well.

It was the same look from when she was injured on a mission. The Uzumaki kid from Konoha was his ward? Or some variety, considering the lengthened claws currently tearing holes in the parchment.

“I'll come with.” Tsunade smirked and fully re-sheathed and adjusted her blade. “I am his aunt after all.”

\--

Kakashi was sure he was going to snap.

To be fair, that wasn’t exactly a new statement.

Ever since being assigned a team he knew his life wouldn’t be easy. Then Sesshomaru had returned and Kakashi knew he was  _ really  _ fucked.

As if it wasn’t enough to be responsible for possibly the most problematic kids in Konoha! A part of him was convinced the hokage genuinely hated him. Perhaps this was his punishment for all of the bullshit he pulled in ANBU. In that case, he almost deserved it.

But, maybe the team wouldn’t be so bad. They managed to pass his test (which was one of the biggest shocks he had ever received) and had even begun basic team training aside from the D-rank missions.

When Naruto demanded that they be given a C-rank, Kakashi had allowed it. There wouldn’t be serious conflict, but maybe a more mature mission would allow them to realize just how shitty they worked as a team.  _ Maybe  _ it could finally bring them together even  _ slightly  _ to function properly.

Fool’s dream, and all that.

And, really, how hard could an escort mission be? The most challenging part should be putting up with the alcoholic jerk they were assigned to guard.

Then the demon brothers had appeared from the mist. Well, a puddle to be precise.

They hadn’t actually handled it as bad as Kakashi thought they would. While he watched from the trees Naruto had frozen in fright-which, honestly, was understandable since it was his first time out of the village-while Sasuke had taken the initiative to take down one of the shinobi.

Sakura had moved to protect the client, but Kakashi wasn’t dumb enough to know it was mostly out of fear that she had done so. Still, she and Sasuke performed alright before he had rejoined the short battle.

There was Naruto’s injury to deal with, but that was easy enough since the Kyuubi had healed it-after his speech about friendship or whatever, of course. All he had to do was wrap it in some effort to hide Naruto’s incredible healing ability from the others.

Even that had worked a little too well.

Given his track record, Kakashi pretty much expected something to go wrong even besides the demon brothers. Sure, Tazuna had informed him that Gato may send more men, but it shouldn’t be too much for him to handle. There weren’t any recent reports of dangerous rogues in the area, and the clamor around Kirigakure had calmed quick enough to draw most interested parties that direction.

So, of course when they entered the next clearing it was to face a small group of shinobi led by two in black cloaks with red clouds.

\--

The trip to Wave was excruciating for Sesshomaru. He longed to haul ass through the sky to protect his pack, but Tsunade didn't have the luxury. She was fast, compared to other humans, but still too slow for his tastes.

He wouldn't abandon her though. Despite his longing to hurry to Naruto, Tsunade was important. His one surviving family member that had left the village so long ago. If just this was enough to get her interacting with Konoha again, there was a chance he could convince her to return.

Leaving Naruto with a capable adult was a priority before he left again. He couldn’t stay to watch over the kid until he grew up, but he certainly wasn’t about to leave him to the mercy of the village again (or dump him on Kakashi’s couch).

Grabbing Tsunade and flying anyways had been a thought, but the last time shinobi didn't react too well. To fly he practically infused the air around him with youki, and that amount was suffocating to a shinobi.

They had been traveling for about an hour when Tsunade finally broke the ice. “So, you know Uzumaki?”

“Naruto is…” Sesshomaru realized he didn’t know how to explain the complex relationship between himself, the bijuu, and the jinchuuriki to someone who was previously unaware. “... under my protection for the time being.”

Tsunade hummed and seemed to accept this answer. Her brow furrowed as she considered the information available to her. “And Kirigakure?” Sesshomaru sent her a bored glance that urged her to elaborate, “The Mizukage. Something happened. You were there, weren’t you?”

Sesshomaru briefly wondered how many times he would have to answer that question before the week was out. “Yagura was under the control of an Uchiha. I freed him.” In the corner of his vision Tsunade scrunched her nose, clearly not happy with that answer. So be it; he had no desire to spend hours repeating the full tale. “You look young.” He commented instead.

Tsunade snorted. “Fair enough. It’s because of a technique I created, not that you’d understand.”

Bristling at the accusation, Sesshomaru forced himself to remember this was Tsunade. The last time they met she had been a child, and with that came certain privileges. That, however, was a conversation for another time.

There was a pause in the conversation before Tsunade continued, “At least tell me you gave Hiruzen hell when you returned.” Sesshomaru’s lips twitched into a smile and Tsunade grinned. “I knew it! Finally someone else is willing to call him out.”

Mood taking a swing for the worse Sesshomaru explained, “He was allowing Naruto to live in dangerous conditions and be harrassed by the villagers.”

Tsunade missed a branch. “ _ What?”  _ For a moment Sesshomaru must have forgotten just how firey her temper was. “I’m going to punch him into next week!”

If there was something to be said about Tsunade, let it be her ability to carry through a promise. “I don’t doubt it.”

Once again they fell into silence as they ran. It was a relief to be alongside someone he trusted. Not that he fully distrusted the shinobi he had met in Konoha, but trust was not given lightly from a youkai. Plus, Hiruzen had always been a bit of a bastard.

The knowledge that Tsunade was alive (and therefore it was quite possible so were Jiraiya and Orochimaru) was giving him emotions he wasn’t sure he wanted to unpack right now.

Regardless, they continued and made it about a mile into Wave before Sesshomaru nearly faltered his step. There were unfamiliar scents mixed in, but he easily distinguished the ones he was searching for. Along with blood.

A growl echoed from his throat as he abandoned all hope of moving at Tsunade’s pace. Further ahead were the shouts and sounds of battle.

Then he could see a kunoichi standing over Naruto with a blade to his chest.

He was practically a blur when he raced through the clearing and used one clawed hand to pull her away from the jinchuuriki. Ducking under the frantic swing of her katana, he finished the swipe and tore a streak through her chest.

As the kunoichi collapsed he surveyed his surroundings. Three remaining shinobi shuffled their position to a formation around a woman in a black and red cloak. A man in a matching cloak was to the side engaged in conflict with Kakashi. Kakashi’s sharingan was revealed and the man was visibly injured.

He looked to be defending the young kunoichi who was hunched over another fallen shinobi. The two young ones must be his new team.

“ _ Oh, come on!”  _ The lead kunoichi complained, “Seriously? Who the fuck are you?”

Sesshomaru didn’t answer but studied her features for anything recognizable. Vibrant blue hair and dark eyes didn’t register anything to him, but he wasn’t known for being the most attentive that way.

The shards of crystal scattered around the field, on the other hand, told him that at least one of the present shinobi was capable of crystal release.

With a quick motion Sesshomaru summoned his poison whip and lunged towards the three ‘extra’ shinobi. The thin yellow band of energy sliced easily through armor, flesh, and bone.

Sesshomaru continued with the motion and swung towards the kunoichi. She was faster than the others and successfully dodged the first two strikes. Where the third should have struck through her thigh it instead wrapped around a hastily summoned crystal and shattered it.

“Fuck!” Tiny shards of the crystal fractured off and dug into the kunoichi’s arm that she used to protect her face. Skidding back a few feet, the kunoichi hunched over and glared at Sesshomaru.

“Sesshomaru-nii!” Sesshomaru refused to turn to face Naruto, but the kunoichi had already heard his cry.

A twitch of her lips was his only warning before she darted to the side. The crystal wall she threw up wasn’t going to stop Sesshomaru, but it did stall him long enough. When the wall shattered he was greeted by the sight of the kunoichi holding a struggling Naruto by the collar with her crystal kunai to his neck.

“So it’s true.”

Despite the way his fur metaphorically bristled Sesshomaru kept his voice even. “Drop him.”

“I don’t think even you can move faster than I can pull this kunai.” Sesshomaru had never wanted someone to be wrong so badly. “Senju Sesshomaru, eh?”

Mind in an absolute whirlwind, Sesshomaru nodded, “And you?” Casual conversation may not be the best choice of action, but it was the one most effective to buy him some time. A glance to the side informed him Kakashi was currently out of commission and wouldn’t be a reliable source of backup.

With a smirk the kunoichi informed, “Yoren of the Akatsuki.” The blade pressed closer to Naruto’s neck. “Pleasure to meet you, dickbag.”

A scoff came from the man as he joined his comrade. Threads from the man's arm moved to stitch Yoren’s wounds even as she continued holding the jinchuuriki hostage.  _ That  _ certainly wasn’t a technique he had seen before.

“What do you want?”

“Simple. Let us retreat and never come after the Akatsuki or we kill the boy.” Sesshomaru knew of the Akatsuki. They were the group responsible for a plethora of issues near Konoha and occasionally acted as a mercenary group.

“The Gato job isn’t so important to our leader as our return.” Yoren added in some effort to get Sesshomaru to stand down. “Or the reunion of a Senju and his ward.” At that she shook Naruto pointedly.

So that was it. They wanted  _ him  _ out of the picture. It wasn’t as if they could possibly believe some vow to never track down the Akatsuki after this encounter. But if they planned to kill him and Naruto…

Sesshomaru relaxed his stance and let the whip disintegrate from his hand. “So be it.” Because it would be much easier to kill them once they dropped the kid. “I have no quarrel with the Akatsuki.”

Yoren’s eyes lit up and the other’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, it’s that easy? You were su-”

She was cut off by a familiar blade sailing through the air. And through her neck.

 


End file.
